This is what it means to be Muslim and a feminist

There are a lot of misconceptions concerning Muslim women, particularly that are suppressed, therefore are incapable of being true feminists.

One lady dares to contradict this opinion. Her name is Leah Vernon. She is a 30-year-old fashion blogger and stylist from Detroit, Michigan.

She recently had an interview with Huffington Post in which she discusses the popular misguided view that Muslim women are not free.

In her words, “Muslim girls and women are not oppressed. As soon as someone sees me, my Muslim-ness, they automatically assume that.”

She adds that her weight and colour makes people jump to all kinds of conclusions.

She says, “Also, I’m fat. People see me and assume that I have low-self-esteem or that I’m lazy. People see my Blackness and assume that I don’t hold a double masters.”

All of this things gave her reason to come up with a daring project. The project, her dancing boldly, proudly on the streets of her hometown.

The goal is to change this negative mindset, proving once and all that it is possible to be a Muslim and not be defined by what people think you should be.

In her words, “With this project, I want to show the world that people like me, who don’t fit into society’s ‘norm’ of beauty do exist and deserve to take up space.”

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She admits that it was not easy at the beginning but with encouragement from her best friend, who doubled as her make-up artist that day, she was able to do it successfully.

“Then, the Beyoncé came out. I felt fierce and confident and amazing. People who passed by on the street started dancing with me. Shouted how fierce I was from their cars. And, a few asked if I was a celebrity,” she says.

The result, “Muslim Girl Dance #BodyProject,” is the visual presentation of a powerful Black Muslim woman who is clearly proud of who is she and refuses to let people's views define her.

Vernon’s goal is to spark a conversation about what Muslim women really look like, in spite of what others say they should look like.

“I hope that the audience takes the fierceness and positive energy from this video and harness it. Make it their own. Become a powerful voice in this world. Be a rebel and do what feels right instead of allowing naysayers and trolls to dictate how we use and view our bodies,” she says.

In spite of the general Western opinion, Muslim women are actually not oppressed. They are actually free and Leah Vernon is proof.